DESCRIPTION (Adapted from Applicants Abstract): The ultimate objective of this five year Biomedical Research Partnership (BRP) is to develop a unified body of scientific knowledge and validated technology concepts that are needed to establish ultrasound as a practical non-invasive treatment modality and to inaugurate ultrasonic therapeutics as a new biomedical discipline. The applicants will systematically elucidate the spectrum of ultrasonic therapeutic lesions that can modify various classes of diseased tissues and develop integrated ultrasonic systems to position, induce, and monitor these lesions. They will focus on establishing a comprehensive basis for future treatments of cancer (primarily of the breast and prostate) and cardiac disease (primarily ventricular arrhythmia and myocardial insufficiency). These clinically significance diseases present challenging opportunities to test and refine our concepts, which have substantial implications for treating a broad array of problematic, life-threatening conditions. This Biomedical Research Partnership involves biomedical engineering research at Riverside Research Institute; animal research studies at Weill Medical College of Cornell University (WMC) and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (CUCPS); and advanced systems development at Spectrasonics, Inc. Our multi-disciplinary research is designed to achieve a series of fundamental advances in the divers areas involved in therapeutic ultrasound. We will employ extensive theoretical modeling to elucidate physical ultrasound-tissue interactions that can be used to produce therapeutic changes in diseased tissues. We will validate model results for thermal and mechanical effects in a series of animal experiments. Validated results will be used to design and implement advanced therapy systems incorporating two-dimensional arrays and real-time lesion monitoring. The system will be tested and refined using animal experiments that investigate cancer and heart-disease therapy. Results are expected to be incorporated in a systems model of ultrasonic therapy which would permit comprehensive treatment planning and design of future system features.